Stone Brewing World Bistro & Gardens – Liberty Station Now Open

SAN DIEGO — Stone Brewing Co. is thrilled to announce that its second decidedly eclectic restaurant, Stone Brewing World Bistro & Gardens — Liberty Station, is (finally!) open in what use to be the Naval Training Center in the Point Loma neighborhood of San Diego.

The brewery restaurant opened its doors May 15 and recently finished construction of its garden, marking the completion of the entire facility.

“This project was a monster, however, we were able to bring to fruition an epic concept that we are really proud of,” said Stone CEO and Co-founder Greg Koch. “We have created a restaurant and brewery that offers our fans and guests a truly unique experience unlike any other.”

“We’ve anticipated the opening of this restaurant for quite a while, and I’m glad we finally made it to the finish line” said Stone President and Co-founder Steve Wagner. “It has been rewarding to see our fans and new guests enjoy the various aspects of the restaurant, and the terrific new beers we’ve brewed on site.”

Similar to Stone Brewing World Bistro & Gardens — Escondido, the restaurant offers a menu employing the company’s well-known farm-to-table ethos, focusing heavily on locally grown, organic produce from farms around Southern California, including the company’s own Escondido-based Stone Farms. Executive Chef Tausha Lopez, who has been with Stone since the company’s first restaurant opened in 2006, prepares signature classics as well as new dishes that showcase the creative artisanal approach to world-inspired cuisine that Stone is known for.

The restaurant’s design highlights the venue’s history and distinctive architectural elements. The vaulted main dining room, which formerly served as both the Navy mess hall and library at different points in time, boasts refurbished fireplaces, large boulders, a water feature resplendent with live bamboo and rich red decorative drapes hanging from the rafters. In the main bar area, the clay tile ceiling was left exposed, highlighting the building’s early 1900s construction techniques. Stone’s signature industrial-meets-organic motif is consistent throughout the different rooms, with slabs of raw granite, water, plant life, repurposed vintage wood, patinated and rusted metal and, of course, stone.

The 55,000-square-foot indoor and outdoor facility seats more than 800 guests and has many unique areas to discover, including an on-site brewery, two bocce ball courts, a movie courtyard, expansive garden patio, private banquet rooms and Stone Company Store — Liberty Station. The brewery is equipped with a 10-barrel brewhouse, fashioned by San Diego County’s own Premier Stainless Systems, and six 20-barrel fermenters that will be used to produce small-batch, one-off beers for both restaurants, special events and Stone Company Store growler fills. Longtime Stone brewer Kris Ketcham oversees brewing operations and will have help from a list of rotating brewers joining him from the brewing company’s main brewery in Escondido, CA.

“I’ve been putting in long hours since opening, but I really have one of the best brewery jobs ever,” Ketcham said. “I can brew unique beers that illustrate how creative we can be here at Stone. With our smaller brewhouse, I get to brew beers that might not otherwise be a part of Stone’s portfolio.”

“Kris was chosen to manage the brewery operations at Stone Brewing World Bistro & Gardens — Liberty Station because of his passion, creativity and great work ethic,” said Stone Brewmaster Mitch Steele. “He’s been with Stone for more than eight years, and in that time he’s worked his way up from early positions as delivery driver and bottling line operator to brewing manager. We expect great things from Kris, and from the new beers he’s already brewed there, we can tell he’s up for the job.”

The exterior bocce courtyard directly adjacent to the main dining room, main bar, small banquet room and large banquet room allows guests to engage in some friendly competition while savoring their favorite craft beer. Just on the other side of the large banquet room is the movie courtyard. Equipped with its own 12-tap bar, the inviting outdoor area will host guests for special and private events, including Stone Movie Nights, a summer tradition being carried over from Stone Brewing World Bistro & Gardens — Escondido, that is scheduled to begin later this summer.

The 30,000-square-foot garden area seats up to 200 people and integrates evening fire features, a flowing pond with multiple waterfall elements, and bold use of reclaimed wood, huge boulders, steel, concrete and plant life. The addition of the main outdoor bar with its 30 taps ensures guests won’t have to make the trek inside the restaurant to get served, allowing more time for them to relax while taking in San Diego’s great year-round weather.

Stone Brewing World Bistro & Gardens — Liberty Station has four bars on the property:

Stone Brewing World Bistro & Gardens — Liberty Station opened May 2013 in the now-historic Naval Training Center located in San Diego’s Point Loma community. The restaurant encompasses more than 55,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor dining and bars, as well as a bocce ball court, outdoor cinema space and a 30,000-square-foot garden. Celebrating an artisanal, natural approach to food, Stone is the largest restaurant purchaser of small-farm organic produce in San Diego County, and virtually all the food grown at its own Stone Farms is used at the restaurant. Executive Chef Tausha Lopez offers an eclectic menu of world-inspired cuisine. The restaurant features 40 unique craft beers on tap, including year-round and special releases from Stone Brewing Co. as well as exceptional craft and specialty beers from other breweries. As ambassadors of the craft beer movement, Stone also boasts a bottle list of about 80 additional craft beers. Stone celebrates the venue’s prior history as a U.S. Navy mess hall while introducing new industrial and organic features of metal, concrete, reclaimed wood, plant life, water and glass.

Founded by Greg Koch and Steve Wagner in 1996, San Diego-based Stone Brewing Co. is the 9th largest craft brewer in the United States. Stone has been listed on the Inc. 500 | 5000 Fastest Growing Priv...